Learning New Things
by Darcy Devereaux
Summary: Outside of a bookstore Remus meets a young woman and they have a discussion about new things.


Disclaimer: The Harry Potter characters aren't mine and I am not making any money off of this, I couldn't if I tried so nobody sue me. J 

Author Note: Okay, I am trying very, very hard to make this character not a Mary Sue. Please don't flame me, if you don't like original characters or if you think she is a Mary Sue, either tell me nicely and explain why or don't review at all. Flames are just mean and don't serve any purpose. You wouldn't like getting them so please do not leave them for me.

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Learning New Things

By: Darcy Devereaux

Elise Carmichael huddled under the little awning outside of the closed book store and shivered. It was rainy really hard, and it was very cold since it was nearly winter. Her usually luxurious chestnut colored hair was all straggly and limp from being rained on and her skin looked pale and clammy because it was wet. Her cloak and robes were soaking wet too, and she felt like she was going to be sick soon.

It was her own fault for coming so early but she wanted to make sure she got Gilderoy Lockhart's newest book. She really liked his books. He was very clever and handsome and she had all of the books he had written already. 

"Are you all right miss?"

Elise turned, looking very startled. She hadn't heard anyone coming up behind her but a man around her age with sandy blonde hair and nice eyes was standing there looking worried.

"Oh I'm fine." She said and she smiled to show that she was.

"You look very cold."

"Oh, it's okay. The store will open soon, and it will be warm inside of there."

"You're waiting for the bookstore to open?"

"Yes." Elise nodded. She didn't like talking to strangers very much, she was a little bit shy.

"That's why I'm here, too. Do you mind if I wait with you?"

"Oh. Okay." She couldn't say no, she didn't own the sidewalk in front of the store. She held her handbag close to her and looked down at the ground. 

The young man just stood next to her acting like the rain really didn't bother him. But he was just as wet as she was, and it looked like he was really poor. His robes were tattered and stitched up and they were a dull color. She felt funny just standing there and not saying anything but she didn't really want to talk to him.

"What book are you looking for?" The stranger asked her.

"Oh. Lockhart's new book."

"I see." he just nodded.

"What?" It sounded like he had been expecting her to say that. Was there something wrong with liking Lockhart's books? They were very good books, and it proved what a wonderful man Gilderoy was. 

"Oh nothing." The man said smiling a little bit. "I'm sure you'll enjoy it, I've heard a lot of things about his books."

"They're very good." Elise said because she felt like the man was making fun of Gilderoy.

"I'm sure they are." It still sounded like he was making fun of them. Elise had known a boy back in school who used the same type of voice when he talked about squibs. He acted liked he was talking nicely, but there was this feeling that he really wasn't. 

"I've read all of his books." Elise said stubbornly. "And they're probably the best books ever written! What book are *you* here for?" It was probably something stupid.

"Der Fall Der Dunklen Seite, by Krausell Mendenwieler." He said calmly. Elise had never heard of *that* book. It wasn't even in English!

"Oh." She said. It was probably still a very stupid book.

"It tells about the defeat of Grindewald from the view of one of his supporters. It's very good. I bet it's as good as one of Lockhart's books."

"I don't think so." Elise said. At least Lockhart wrote in English. 

"Maybe you should read it sometime."

"I don't know other languages."

"Oh, it's written in English. Well it's been translated. It's not as good as the German version because a lot of subtext is lost when it gets translated but it's still very good."

"I don't think I'd like it." It sounded like a very depressing book.

"I'll tell you what." The yung man said. "If you read Der Fall, *I'll* read one of Lockhart's books."

Well, that was only fair but why did it matter? Why did he even care what books she read it wasn't like they were friends or anything.

"Maybe." She said. She really didn't think she'd like a book about a big war. She had learned about it in school and Grindewald had done a lot of really bad stuff and killed a lot of people in horrible ways. Why would anybody want to read a book about one of the people who helped him? "But I don't see why you would want to read a book by someone who helped to hurt so many people."

"It's interesting to see how the other side thinks." He said. "They felt like they were doing the right thing and it's interesting to see why they think that. I know it's wrong, but they don't know that and I like to read why they think they're right."

"Oh." Okay so that sort of made sense if she thought about it really hard. This stranger was really smart.

"My name is Remus by the way." He held his hand out to her.

"Oh. Hi." She shook his hand really hesitantly. "I'm Elise."

"It's nice to meet you Elise. So are you going to read the book?"

"I think I might."

"Then I will read one of Lockhart's books. It's always good to learn new things."

"Yeah." That was true it was good to learn new things. But Elise didn't think she would need to know all about what Grindewald did, she was just a clerk at an apothecary in a tiny wizarding village in Ireland. The only reason she had come to Diagon Alley was to get the new book, because they didn't have a bookstore in her village.

"And maybe we can have lunch and talk about the books." Remus said looking at her very intense.

"Maybe…" She didn't usually go to lunch with men she just met. Even if they were handsome. Did she just say that he was handsome? Yes she did, but that was okay because he *was* sort of handsome. 

"I know a really good little sandwiche place that I could take you to if you would like. It's very small but I'm not really rich as you can see from my shabby robes."

"Oh, that's okay." Elise didn't mind about that. But she wondered why he was poor. Was he a homeless wizard? But he had money to buy books so maybe he just couldn't get a good job or maybe he had dropped out of school. There were lots of reasons he might be poor. Her father had always told her that the poor were people too and that they should help them. Maybe she could help him! Maybe.

"I just wanted to let you know." Remus told her.

"There's nothing wrong with being poor." Elise told him.

"So what do you do?"

"Me? I work at an apothecary in a little village in Ireland."

"That's nice. Do you like it?" He asked her.

"Yes I do. I like herbs and things like that so it's fun for me. What do you do?"

"A little bit of everything." Remus said. "I am working in a library right now. I used to work as a trail guide for a little a while. I like the outdoors. Do you?"

"Oh not very much." Elise said. 

"That's too bad. It's fun to go hiking and stuff."

"I don't go hiking. I don't think I'd like it."

"You never know." Remus said. "You should try it. Maybe I could take you sometime."

"Maybe…" She didn't think so though. But…well…it didn't hurt to *try*. Maybe she should start trying new things. She had always done the same thing since she graduated. She went to work and she would go out with her friends and she would read her Lockhart books. Maybe a little hiking would be good for her.

"Oh look the book store's open." Remus said and he pointed at the man who was opening the store.

"Yes it is." Elise was still wondering if she should go out to lunch with him. He did seem nice, after he wasn't making fun of Gilderoy anymore. And he had said he would read one of his books, and then he would see how good they were! And maybe his book was good too, but Elise didn't think so.

"What was the name of that book again?" She asked him as they went into the store. Like he had said, it as good to learn new things and Elise thought she wanted to learn more about Remus.

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I don't know if there will be any more or not. I think it is cute to leave it here. Please tell me what you think.


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